Political reactions: Punjabi Taliban behind Karachi blasts, says Malik

Groundswell of condemnation over Sunday’s deadly attack on Shias.

LAHORE/ KARACHI:

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Monday that the Punjabi Taliban were behind Sunday’s twin bomb blasts in Karachi that killed over 45 people.

“It is the Punjab Taliban, also known as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who were behind the [bombings] in Quetta and now in Karachi,” he told reporters in Karachi.

Malik claimed that he had provided intelligence about a possible terrorist attack, similar to the one in Quetta, in Shia-dominated areas of Karachi.

He went on to question the inspector general of Sindh and the home secretary on why security was not adequate despite the forewarning.

He lashed out at the Punjab government and said that all headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) were in Punjab, and that there was no Shia-Sunni conflict in Karachi.



“This is an open question for the Punjab government: How many of them (LeJ members) did you arrest?”

As this debate continued, there appeared to be a split between the political parties on the nature of the crisis and how to tackle it. Condemning the deadly attack, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) advised residents to form committees for their own protection. “The government has failed to protect the people of this city. It is now up to the masses to form vigilance committees in their neighborhoods to protect their lives, property and houses of worship,” said the party’s deputy convener Dr Farooq Sattar at a press conference on Monday.



According to him, the state did not have the will to stop terrorist attacks. “From what it seems, it is apparently not the last incident, as the government has failed to stop terrorism,” he said.

The party believes that there is a conspiracy to divide Sunnis and Shias who have been living peacefully for years. “New groups are being formed and organised to create sectarian violence,” said Sattar.

This was not quite the stance taken by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan who, unlike the MQM, believed that there was a Sunni-Shia conflict but that it reared its ugly head because of the incompetence of the federal and provincial governments. “The support for terror outfits by major parties that are making seat adjustments with organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has added to the menace of terrorism,” he said on Monday. He visited the bereaved family of a Shia doctor who was recently gunned down, along with his son, in Lahore. And he chose to highlight a campaign point: “Once in power, the PTI will eradicate terrorism.”



The French Embassy reacted to Sunday’s attack in Karachi, saying that the country utterly condemned the attack and offered its condolences to the victims’ relatives. It reiterated its support for the Pakistani people in the fight against terrorism.

With additional input from the news desk and our correspondent in Karachi

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2013.